The Talented and Sexy Mr Jude Law
Poster: Peter Leonard 06/02/2007
THE FRIEND OF SUCH ENFANT TERRIBLES AS ETHAN HAWKE, JUDE LAW IS – AS AMPARO DE LA GAMA REVEALS IN THIS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW FOR H! – ONE OF HOLLYWOOD’S MOST BANKABLE STARS. Jude Law’s parents were great Beatles fans – hence the urban legend about his being baptised in honour of Hey Jude. Whatever the truth or otherwise of that, the name seems to have served him well as a talisman in his short but intense career. Not keen about studying, he left school at 17 and devoted himself to his great passion, acting. From television and soap operas he moved to the big screen, drawn by Ethan Hawke and other young actors who also flirted with independent productions. These days, his well-travelled path to stardom has become more mainstream, and includes two Oscar nominations (The Talented Mr Ripley and Cold Mountain).
■ Cameron Díaz, who as Amanda falls madly in love with Graham, the character played by you in The Holiday, has said about you: “He’s charming, charismatic, fun and entertaining”, and “very true” to the role you portrayed in the film, adding, “We all fell for him on the set.”(Laughs) She’s just like that, very generous with her colleagues. Working with Cameron was a pleasure. She is so full of vitality, so spontaneous, that the actual filming went very smoothly. A film of this kind is a greater challenge than drama. Comedy is a very hard genre to do, which makes my life more interesting.
■ You played the lead in this romantic comedy, by Nancy Meyers, but you’ve always avoided playing the typical beau…It’s true that I’ve always said I’m not a fan of modern romantic comedies; a lot of them lack the delicacy you find in Cary Grant’s. You need a lot of talent to perform a character in sophisticated comedy. I’m not good at that but working with Nancy Meyers was very easy and she’s magical on these types of film-sets.
■ How is it that somebody as attractive as you has been able to avoid seductive characters until now?Nothing’s been really programmed or consciously planned; I simply never read a role that interested me. But I think that after Cold Mountain I got to a stage where I felt confident enough to investigate that aspect as an actor. Perhaps because the last 10 years I lived a pleasant and happy life and now in my career I wanted to investigate more dirty and degrading roles. My life has changed, and maybe that’s why I wanted to look in another direction. Anyway, I wanted to have a change of plan because everything was all too predictable. ■ Sometimes an actor doesn’t achieve the right note in a character because he’s too handsome. Has that happened to you before?I don’t know… Road to Perdition was an interesting experience, because (director) Sam Mendes wanted me to be a threat. ■ Are you a natural born seducer?Well, even though it probably seems to be the contrary, I’m actually quite hopeless in that field. I got engaged when I was 19 years old and was with my partner for nearly 11 years. I’ve never been really good at seduction, unless I have a script before me. ■ Was Cold Mountain a turning point for you? Yes, for me it was a great spiritual success, an internal confirmation which liberated my mind. The characters I played from then on didn’t have to be so strange and obscure or deformed. I believe the film is, at heart, a moral fable, an investigation and analysis of relationships. There is something revealing about it which opens the eyes of both sexes. There’s deception, intimate connection, broken hearts on both sides… ■ How did you take Chris Rock’s joke at the Oscar ceremony when he said, “You want Tom Cruise and the only thing you can get is Jude Law”?The truth is that when he started the joke I laughed because I thought he didn’t even know me, but then I started to get annoyed because the thing turned personal. I was touched when Sean came out in my defence. You know that in this profession moments like that happen, but I didn’t like it that, once the joke was over, he continued again and again. It’s not my fault that five or six of my films all came out at the same time. ■ Seeing your work over the last couple of years, you must feel like one of the most sought-after and desired men in Hollywood…It’s nice to be desired… I’m very much aware that there are ups and downs. I would be crazy to think I’m always going to be working as intensely in the future as these last two years. ■ What are you looking for − why work so much?I always thought I had to work in intervals, because you only produce the goods when it has a meaning. But then, in real life, it’s like waiting for a bus. There are usually very few and they take ages to pass by, then suddenly three or four all come by at the same time. This is basically what happened to me with these projects, especially because they were all completely different and that’s something I have always wanted to do: move among different types of genres and roles, work with a lot of directors. I didn’t want to miss out on any of these projects. I’m in no hurry; happiness comes within, savouring each moment and each option. It originates from the voyage, and not the final product. While I remain interesting and interested I’ll be happy. Anyhow, all the projects appeared at the right moment logistically speaking. The majority were filmed in London, and I could be close to my kids. ■ Have you also done films like Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow for your children?Personally, I think it’s a shame romances are sold like sex; or adventures like violence… Scripts nowadays, sadly, are mixed up in an unhealthy way. And, although I’m dying for them to be old enough to see my adult films, I liked the fact that Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow turned out to be what it was promised to be: pure entertainment, for all the family and for all ages, with no offensive parts. Furthermore, when I saw the film material and became involved in the project (the first one he produced with his new company, Riffraff) the child in me was drawn out. ■ What is the child in Jude Law like?I imagine just like in others: someone who responds to the thrill of a Saturday morning, watching old Superman or Flash Gordon shows on TV, reading comics, believing you can be one of those characters…I think I like adventure. ■ That’s why you worked in The Aviator?In a way, yes, because I like adventure and it was fun. I only had five days of work, in Montreal, but it was a chance to work with Leonardo DiCaprio, see Martin Scorsese in action and portray Errol Flynn, and not Errol in leotards, but drunk and messed up. We rehearsed the scene with DiCaprio and Cate Blanchett one day to create the atmosphere and to start feeling comfortable with each other. We improvised a little and added a couple of things. Then Scorsese showed a film of that era to demonstrate to us the sense of humour and dialogue rhythm he wanted to recreate. It was incredibly delicate, respectful, like a masseuse who slowly discovers unknown muscles. It was two days of filming and three for rehearsals and spending time together. And that’s just how I saw it: I simply sat, looked and learnt. ■ You have rubbed shoulders with the best… What has been the best advice you’ve received?Clint Eastwood, when he directed me in
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, said: “When you get a role, give it your best. You have to believe that you have been given the character you deserve and press ahead.” My father gave me two: “If what you do you do well, nobody can touch you”; and “If you are going to be late, enjoy the fact that you are arriving late.” A STAR IS BORN – THE REAL JUDEBorn: 29 December 1972 in Lewisham (England).Parents: Peter and Maggie, teachers who had a small theatre company in France.Sibling: elder sister Natasha, working as a photographer.Tattoo: lyrics from The Beatles’ Sexy Sadie, “You came along to turn on everyone, Sexy Sadie” (ex-wife was Sadie Frost).Fetishes: keeps T-shirts worn by his characters in
The Talented Mr. Ripley,
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and Gattaca at the moment they were killed.Inspiration: The band Brand New dedicated a song to him, Jude Law and a Semester Abroad.Football: favourite team Tottenham Hotspur.Injuries: broke a rib while recording the boat scene in The Talented Mr. Ripley. Awards: twice been nominated for an Oscar − as supporting actor for The Talented Mr. Ripley and as leading actor for Cold Mountain.
